Traveler's package pick-up and delivery service

• US 8,160,972 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Union Beach Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Union Beach Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Tannenbaum, Mary C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jung, Allen J
• Application Number:
  US12/119,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/336
• US Class Current: 705/336
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers

Abstract

A traveler can subscribe to a pick-up service (consolidator) that will pick-up purchases made at any number of different locations while the traveler is visiting a location, or series of locations. The consolidator then bundles all of the purchases from the various locations into appropriate sized packages for delivery to the traveler'"'"'s desired location. The consolidator gathers the various purchases over a period of time and coordinates ultimate delivery to the traveler according to a pre-arranged itinerary of the traveler.

Claims

1. A method for controlling delivery of items purchased from merchant locations by a traveler while said traveler is at said merchant'"'"'s physical location, said method performed under control of at least one processor, said method comprising:

establishing by said traveler an ID to be used by said traveler, said establishing being under at least partial control of one of said processors;

associating with said ID, by said at least one processor, at least one delivery location for delivery to said traveler of items identified by said traveler at various geographic locations;

associating with said ID, by said at least one processor, a time frame for said delivery of said identified items;

retrieving, by a shipping service consolidator, items identified by said traveler while said traveler was physically at various merchants locations within said geographic locations for consolidation; and

delivering, by the shipping service consolidator, subsequent to said consolidation, said identified items to said delivery location at a conclusion of said time frame.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

electronically communicating said established ID to at least one consolidator operating in a specific one of said geographical locations, said electronic communication under at least partial control of one of said processors.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying by said traveler a specific item at a specific merchant within said specific geographical location;

retrieving by said consolidator said identified item from said specific merchant; and

warehousing said retrieved item during said time frame.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said retrieving comprises:

communicating to said consolidator a specific merchant location at which said traveler has identified an item to be retrieved.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

arranging all warehoused items pertaining to said ID for consolidated delivery to said traveler when said time frame has expired.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said associating comprises physically tagging an item with an identity keyed to said traveler.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said tagging comprises storing data pertaining to said item and said traveler in a database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said geographic locations are different countries.

9. A processor controlled method for coordinating purchased item delivery, said method comprising:

storing, in a database, by a shipping service during a particular period of time an ID of a traveler, each said accepted ID associated with data that indicates that said traveler associated with said ID has visited and purchased at least one item at a physical location of said particular merchant and has identified said at least one purchased item to be retrieved from a said physical location of said identified particular merchant, said storing being controlled by at least one processor;

after a conclusion of said period of time, as determined under control of at least one processor, retrieving from all said identified merchants by said shipping service all said items identified for retrieval; and

delivering to said traveler as a consolidated whole all said retrieved items.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said delivering is to a destination identified to said shipping service by said traveler prior to said retrieving.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said destination, said period of time and said ID of said traveler are all stored in a database prior to said shipping.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

packaging, by said shipping service, any retrieved items that require special packaging different from packaging in which said retrieved item was received from said identified merchant, said special packaging being sufficient to allow said item to transit from a retrieved location to a pre-identified final destination as said consolidated whole.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

separating retrieved ones of said items into different groups according to destinations identified for particular ones of said retrieved items; and

wherein said delivery comprises enabling delivery of each said group to a destination pre-identified in said database for said group.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

billing said traveler for said retrieving, packaging and delivering independent from said merchant.

15. A system for facilitating delivery of items obtained by a traveler from a number of diverse merchant locations over a period of time, said system comprising:

a central system for receiving instructions from said traveler, said instructions containing at least an identity of a merchant location at which at least one item purchased by said traveler while said traveler is physically at said merchant'"'"'s location is available for pick-up;

a dispatching system for controlling retrieval at said identified location of items identified by said traveler at said identified location; and

means for physically consolidating said retrieved items in storage on a traveler by traveler basis such that retrieved items pertaining to a particular traveler are not shipped to a location selected by said traveler until a delivery time pre-established by said traveler.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said warehousing system is further operable for consolidating all items received for said particular traveler for delivery to said particular traveler as a consolidated group.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a delivery system for delivering said consolidated group of items to said user in accordance with said delivery instructions.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said central system comprises a web site accessible by said users.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said web site is operable for allowing travelers to pay for service offered pertaining to said consolidation and delivery.

20. A method of operating a delivery service, said method comprising:

associating by said delivery service a potential traveler with an ID, said associating being under control of at least one processor;

storing in a database, on behalf of said delivery service, a time period during which said potential traveler will be within a particular geographical location, said time period stored in a database in association with said ID, wherein said storing is performed under control of said at least one processor;

during said time period picking up by said delivery service from various merchants within said geographical area items purchased from said merchants by said traveler while said traveler is physically at said merchant'"'"'s location and which items remain in the custody of said merchants until said pick up, said items identified by said traveler using said traveler'"'"'s ID;

holding each said picked up item under control of said delivery service until an end of said accepted time period; and

delivering as a consolidated delivery all held items at a conclusion of said accepted time period.

21. A method for coordinating purchased item delivery, said method comprising:

storing, by a computer processor of a shipping service during a particular period of time, a merchant identification, each said stored merchant identification is associated with data that indicates that a particular purchaser has identified while said purchaser is at said identified merchant'"'"'s physical location at least one item to be retrieved from said identified merchant;

Retrieving, by said shipping service, from said identified merchant'"'"'s physical location at least one of said items; and

delivering to said particular purchaser, under control of said shipping service, items retrieved from a plurality of identified merchants during said particular time period, said items delivered as a consolidated whole.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said delivering is to a destination identified to said shipping service prior to said retrieving.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

packaging, by said shipping service, any retrieved items that require special packaging different from packaging in which said retrieved item was received from said identified merchant, said special packaging being sufficient to allow said item to transit from a retrieved location to a pre-identified final destination.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

separating retrieved ones of said items into different groups according to destinations identified for each said retrieved item; and

wherein said delivering comprises delivering each said group to a destination pre-identified for said group.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

billing said purchaser for said retrieving, packaging and shipping independent from said merchant.

26. A method for facilitating delivery of items obtained by a user from a number of diverse locations over a period of time, said method comprising:

storing by a computer processor, at a central site, instructions from a plurality of users pertaining to delivery locations and delivery times for items to be obtained from said diverse locations, said items to be obtained having been identified by said users while said users were physically visiting said diverse locations;

coordinating, under control of a computer processor at said central site, pick-up of items identified from time to time by said users at identified locations, wherein said pick-up is performed by a shipping service; and

maintaining said picked-up items in storage on a user by user basis such that picked-up items pertaining to a particular user are not shipped to said particular user until said received delivery time for said particular user.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

consolidating all items picked-up for said particular user for delivery to said particular user as a consolidated group.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

delivering said consolidated group of items to said user in accordance with received ones of said delivery instructions.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said central site comprises a web site accessible by said users.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said web site is operable for allowing users to pay for service offered pertaining to said consolidation and delivery.

31. A system for facilitating delivery of items obtained by a user from a number of diverse locations over a period of time, said system comprising:

a central system for receiving instructions from a plurality of users pertaining to delivery locations and delivery times for items to be obtained from said diverse locations, said items to be obtained having been identified by said users while said users were physically visiting said diverse locations;

a processor-controlled dispatching system for controlling retrieval, by a shipping service, of items identified from time to time by said users at identified locations; and

a warehousing system for physically maintaining said retrieved items in storage on a user by user basis such that retrieved items pertaining to a particular user are not shipped to said particular user until said received delivery time for said particular user.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein said warehousing system is further operable for consolidating all items received for said particular user for delivery to said particular user as a consolidated group.

33. The system of claim 32 further comprising:

a delivery system for delivering said consolidated group of items to said user in accordance with said delivery instructions.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein said central system comprises a web site accessible by said users.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein said web site is operable for allowing users to pay for service offered pertaining to said consolidation and delivery.